Biography
Paul Atkinson was a British guitarist and record company executive, most notable as a founding member of the pop/rock band The Zombies. As a record business executive, he helped the careers of a wide series of artists. He worked for Dick James Music, headed A&R departments at CBS, RCA and MCA, served as a consultant to Warner Strategic Marketing, and launched Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International Records label in the UK.
Atkinson was from Cuffley in Hertfordshire, England. His father Stanley was a stockbroker's accountant who worked in the City of London, while his mother Clyde was a teacher of English, languages, and secretarial skills courses at a technical college. When he was nine, the family moved to St Albans. He was educated at St Albans School, and contemplated going into the Diplomatic Service like several members of his family, or studying anthropology. Having passed the requisite A-levels, he enrolled at Newcastle University, but having met with musical success did not continue his studies.
At St Albans, Atkinson met Rod Argent and Hugh Grundy, and the three formed a band initially called The Mustangs, later changed to The Zombies. Colin Blunstone and Paul Arnold joined the new band in mid 1958, but Arnold soon left and was replaced by Chris White. After the group won a local contest, they recorded a demo as their prize. Argent's song "She's Not There" got them a deal with Decca Records, and was a hit in the UK and US. An album, Begin Here (renamed to The Zombies when released in the US) would follow. They would appear on American television for the first time on January 12 1965, when they appeared on the first episode of Hullabaloo (1965). The Zombies would have another chart-topper in 1964 with "Tell Her No." The group continued to record successfully through the mid-1960s, but disbanded in December 1967, reportedly over management disagreements. A second album was released in 1968 titled "Odessey and Oracle," which featured the song "Time of the Season," one of The Zombies' most successful singles.
Following the disbandment of The Zombies in early 1968, Atkinson enjoyed a brief stint as a computer programmer before returning to the music industry. He began by managing a number of unsuccessful bands before joining Dick James Music in 1969. While working as a talent scout, Atkinson came across aspiring singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading in the London production of Hair. Despite his recommendation, Dick James refused to sign her, prompting Atkinson to leave the company and, along with Hugh Grundy, join CBS Records UK as an A&R man in 1972. There he succeeded in signing the then-unknown Swedish group ABBA for only £1,000 in advance. Atkinson also introduced Philadelphia International Records in the UK, managing the promotions for Bruce Springsteen among other American acts. He discovered and signed acts such as Elton John, ABBA, Bruce Hornsby, Mr. Mister, Michael Penn and Grayson Hugh, who Atkinson brought to MCA Records from RCA Records in 1991. He is often credited as A&R, executive producer, or reissue producer on releases.
In January 2004 Atkinson received the President's Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at a benefit concert at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The Zombies reunited for the event. Atkinson died at the age of 58 in a Santa Monica hospital due to liver and kidney disease on the 1st of April 2004. He had been suffering from cancer for some time, and had two liver transplants. Atkinson was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
